The #NeverTrump and #DropOutHillary battle wages online

WASHINGTON, May 6, 2016 — Social media plays a part in the election process, both in a positive and negative way. People in both political parties have started campaigns to fight the nomination system. Republicans who consider themselves strong conservatives have fought back against Donald Trump’s nomination with #NeverTrump; Democrats who no longer see Hillary Clinton as the right choice are fighting with #DropOutHillary

#DropOutHillary was trending on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon, as left-wing users pushed back against the Democratic Party establishment. Users stressed that numerous polls have shown Sanders would beat Trump with a higher margin than Clinton, who could potentially lose to Trump.

Others also emphasized that Clinton does not do nearly as well among independents as Sanders, who often wins when independents can vote in the primary.

The Democratic race is actually closer than much of the punditry says it is. Clinton has 1,700 pledged delegates, or 55 percent of the total, while Sanders has 1,410, or 45 percent of the total. It would be mathematically impossible for Sanders to win with just pledged delegates, however, so he would have to earn additional support from superdelegates: unelected party elites who can support any candidate they like.

Others on the left call on Hillary to drop out simply in political and moral outrage at her corruption, inconsistency and historic right-wing stances.

https://twitter.com/Just_a_Texan/status/728543120506265600

Republican supporters of Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio have fought against a Trump nomination by declaring “Never Trump.” Their #NeverTrump campaign has failed to stop him.

People in the conservative movement will have to spend some time in self-reflection, examining the weaknesses in their movement that allowed a cancer like Trump to flourish in the GOP. The “Never Trump” supporters will have hard decisions to make about their affiliation with the Republican party, and what we will do with our votes in November.

Each person of the #NeverTrump movement will have to make a decision who they will vote for. The decision will be different from person to person. Some will vote third party and some will vote for Hillary. However, their message is clear, #NeverTrump means they will never vote for Trump.

As conservatives who value principle over party, even at the risk of handing the White House to the opposing party, many of them have publicly taken an oath against Trump. From pundits to private citizens, there is a sizable contingent of the GOP base that continues to promise that they will not, no matter what the cost, pull the lever for Trump.

Many questions are facing conservatism as a movement and ideology. If the GOP has been the party of conservative values up until now, what does it become when it throws its weight behind a decidedly un-conservative standard-bearer?

If conservatives can’t back their party’s nominee, where do they go? Nobody knows yet but the future of the GOP and the 2016 election hangs in the balance.

As these two movements continue to build upon themselves, one must wonder whether they can defeat the top contenders and deliver a victory to their parties.

These movements have begun to show America that a certain slice of voters in the GOP and the Democrats want a candidate that truly represents their party’s ideology and beliefs.

Lawrence Lease is a conservative commentator taking aim at all aspects of governmental domestic and foreign policy. Lease previously served as a volunteer with the human-rights organization International Justice Mission in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Follow Lease on Twitter, Facebook, and soon Blog Talk Radio.